


Always by Your Side

by rowrowrowthatsme



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Engaged Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Established Relationship, Fluff, Found Family, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, NHK Trophy, One Shot, Podium Family, Post-Canon, Sharing a Bed, its really soft I promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29258130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowrowrowthatsme/pseuds/rowrowrowthatsme
Summary: After a successful senior debut season, Yuri is ready to show everyone that winning gold wasn't just a fluke or beginner's luck. Yuri is determined to win gold at his first competition of the season, and the fact that he would get to compete alongside his boyfriend made it that much better. At 16, Yuri Plisetsky is on top of the world.But with just one sentence, his world comes crashing down.“Yurochka, your grandfather had an accident.”
Relationships: Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	Always by Your Side

It had been nearly a year since Yuri had won gold during his senior debut at the Grand Prix Final, but he hadn’t let up for even a moment in that time. He was determined to keep pushing, to become the best, and to prove wrong those who claimed his victory had just been beginner’s luck. 

And although he had lost none of his drive and perseverance, Yuri had changed a lot in those months. He’d grown several inches (as had his hair), choreographed his own short program, and accepted that maybe Viktor and Yuuri weren’t the absolute worst people in the world. (Maybe he even kind of liked having them in his life sometimes. Maybe. At least when they weren’t trying to win some imaginary award for Most PDA between Fiancés.) 

But the biggest change since last season had to be Otabek. At first, he had been a friend, someone who Yuri actually _enjoyed_ talking to, listening to, and exchanging cute pet pictures with at least three times a day. After a couple of months, Yuri began to wonder if maybe what he felt for Otabek was more than just friendship, but he’d never really had a friend nor a crush before, so with no idea how to tell the difference, he just shoved any impending sexuality crisis to the back of his mind for future Yuri to deal with. Otabek, however, had not gotten the memo and instead proceeded to ask Yuri out when they were reunited at Worlds, to which Yuri very elegantly replied with ten seconds of stunned silence and a mumbled “uh, yeah okay”. Although a long-distance relationship between two incredibly busy, top-ranking figure skaters was not ideal, the pair made it work and never regretted their decision.

Today, 227 days since they started dating (Yuri definitely did _not_ have an app on his phone to keep track), the two would finally be at the same competition once again. 

Yuri had arrived at Kansai International Airport in Osaka that morning, one day before the start of his first competition of the season, the NHK Trophy. After checking into the hotel, texting Otabek and his grandpa that he had landed safely, and doing his usual 20-minute stretching routine to loosen up after a long flight, Yuri decided to head to the rink as it was just a short walk from the hotel. Yakov and Lilia had already gone ahead to start checking in and greeting the staff and other coaches, so Yuri put in his earbuds, pulling up the latest playlist that Otabek had made him, and started on his way. 

As he approached the rink entrance, Yuri pulled up his hood in hopes of avoiding any press or fans that may be lurking nearby. Although it had worked out last year when his fans' crazy antics had led to him meeting Otabek, Yuri knew that, according to his schedule, Otabek was currently waiting for his connecting flight in Seoul and would most definitely not be coming to the rescue this time. 

Luckily, there seemed to be few fans yet, and the media was only just beginning to set up in the lobby. Yuri easily slipped through the lobby and passed the guard who, upon recognizing the scowling teenager’s face, let him by without question. 

Yuri walked down the hall until finally, the low ceiling gave way to the massive arena. He paused, closing his eyes and breathing in the cool air. Opening his eyes again, he looked around at the stands, the cameras, and the rink itself. As much as Yuri liked the comfort and familiarity of his home rink, there was just something about competing in a new place. It was the chance to show what he could do in a brand new setting to a brand new audience. It was the chance to leave his mark on yet another ice rink. 

When a group of staff passing by effectively brought him back to reality, Yuri snapped a quick photo of the Zamboni making its way around the rink and sent it to Otabek with the caption “the ice is almost ready for us. see you soon”. His cheeks twitched towards a smile at the thought of seeing Otabek in only a few short hours, but Yuri quickly covered it with a scowl, not feeling comfortable with showing emotions like this in public. 

With Otabek’s playlist still blasting in his ears, Yuri turned around to go look for Yakov and Lilia only to be confronted with a smirking JJ and his now-wife Isabella by his side. 

Yuri did not hold back his instinct to roll his eyes at the sight of his least favorite of Otabek’s friends, heaving a sigh and deepening his scowl as he watched JJ’s mouth make words that Yuri happily couldn’t make out over the rock music. 

Since he couldn’t care less what crap JJ was probably spewing, Yuri just pushed past him in the direction of the check-in area, only for one of his earbuds to be yanked out. He spun around, ready to unleash a string of curses at JJ, only to find Isabella staring back at him.

“If you had bothered to listen to what my husband was so graciously trying to tell you, you would know that your boyfriend is waiting for you at registration,” she proclaimed, her perfectly-shaped eyebrows raised as if to challenge him.

Yuri’s scowl broke immediately into a look of surprise before returning tenfold as he glared at the couple.

“What the fuck are you talking about, his flight doesn’t even land for another hour,” Yuri spit back with enough venom in his voice to kill an elephant. 

JJ shrugged nonchalantly before wrapping his arm protectively around his wife’s shoulders. “Guess he landed early then,” JJ’s smirk widened as he watched Yuri try to contain his reactions. “You don’t have to take my word for it, just go check for yourself. See you on the ice, kid!” 

With a wave from JJ, the couple turned and continued on their way. Part of Yuri wanted to yell at JJ some more, but the possibility of seeing Otabek was too enticing to waste any more time on the Canadian skater. 

Yuri stared after the pair for just a moment before turning and almost running to the registration area. This was the most crowded area he had encountered so far, coaches and media and staff all milling around, working or chatting or both. Yuri’s eyes scanned the room, searching for a familiar undercut and dark hair. 

Despite standing a good three inches taller than last season, Yuri still could not see over the crowd. He frowned, wondering if JJ really had been messing with him. As he began making a mental list of all the insults he would throw the next time he saw the Canadian, Yuri started weaving his way through the crowd. 

After a few moments, the Russian spotted his coaches and began making his way over to them. Yakov appeared to be conversing with someone, but Yuri’s view was blocked by a large poster board featuring the competition schedule.

As he approached the group, a familiar voice reached his ears, and once Yuri was close enough, his eyes confirmed it.

“What the fuck are you two doing here?” Yuri made his presence known, interrupting whatever conversation may have been taking place before.

“Yurio! You’re finally here, what took you so long?” The pouting face of a certain platinum-haired Russian skater and his smiling fiancé did nothing to relieve the disappointment of not finding Otabek among the crowd, but Yuri supposed he may be just a tiny bit happy to see them. Although they had all been training together in St Petersburg since last season, the couple had temporarily returned to Japan two months ago when Yuuri’s dad had gotten sick. Yuri would never admit it out loud, but it had been a bit lonely without them around. 

Despite having heard it plenty over the last year, Yuri’s scowl still deepened at the sound of his nickname. “What do you mean ‘what took you so long’? My flight only landed two hours ago! And what the hell are you guys doing here anyway? Neither of you are competing in the NHK Trophy.”

“We came to support you, of course!” Viktor exclaimed, simultaneously launching himself at the young skater and wrapping his arms around his shoulders, squeezing him in a tight hug. 

Mostly out of habit, Yuri pulled a face and pushed at Viktor’s arms around him, but he didn’t put up much of a fight, partly because he knew it was useless seeing as Viktor was quite a bit taller and stronger than he was, but mostly because Yuri didn’t really mind that much. So the younger Russian just sighed and rolled his eyes, deciding to simply ignore the elder and focus on Yuuri instead.

“Why are you guys really here?” Yuri pressed, still not having received a satisfactory answer. 

“We really did come to support you. And everyone else, but… mostly you. We’ve missed you a lot, Yurio,” Yuuri responded with a soft smile. Yuri bit the inside of his lip and averted his gaze, trying to hide the fact that he was actually a little bit touched by Yuuri’s statement. “We were planning to return to Russia around this time anyway, so we figured we would come to support you here and then fly back together.”

Yuri gave a slight nod, considering his next words carefully.

“How’s your dad doing?” Yuri asked, his voice automatically softening given the loaded question. Viktor gave him one last squeeze before finally letting go of Yuri to return to his fiancé’s side, wrapping an arm around him in comfort. 

“He’s doing better. He needs to take it easy for another few weeks, but he should make a full recovery,” Yuuri replied, dropping his gaze and fidgeting with his jacket. Viktor reached for Yuuri’s hand, holding it gently and gazing at his partner with so much love. In response, Yuuri lifted his head to meet Viktor’s gaze, and with just a few whispered words of affirmation from his lover, the look of anxiety slowly slipped from Yuuri’s countenance. 

As he watched the scene unfold before him, Yuri felt as if he were intruding on a very private moment. He noticed that Yakov and Lilia had slipped away at some point, so he was now left all alone with the couple. 

But more than that, Yuri felt an unfamiliar feeling twist in his gut. One of longing. Not for the people, but for what they had. As affectionate and over-the-top as they so often were, Viktor and Yuuri had endless love and respect and support for one another, and as difficult as it was for Yuri to admit, he wanted a relationship like theirs someday (minus the excessive PDA, of course).

Yuri didn’t have many role models when it came to relationships. He knew his grandparents had been very much in love, but his grandma had passed away when he was very young, so he only ever heard stories from his grandpa. His parents were… well, a wreck, to put it mildly. Yuri had long rejected the ideas of love and romance, believing that relationships only ever ended in pain and were not worth the time and effort. 

But watching Viktor and Yuuri for the past year, his mindset had begun to change. And although he and Otabek were nowhere near talking about marriage and forever, for the first time Yuri could see it as a possibility. Someday. Far, far in the future. But it was there. And it was both a comforting and terrifying prospect. 

Yuri was pulled back to reality by the sound of Yuuri calling his name.

“What?” Yuri looked back and forth between the pair in front of him, realizing he had missed something while lost in his own thoughts. 

“I said, turn around,” Yuuri repeated, an amused smile spread across his face and was reflected almost identically on Viktor. 

Yuri’s brow furrowed, confusion and mild annoyance at the couple’s weird behavior written on his face. But regardless, he followed the instruction and twisted to look behind him. His eyes scanned the room, looking for whatever— oh.

Only a few feet away, weaving his way through the crowd towards Yuri, was a certain Kazakhstani skater.

While Yuri was frozen in shock, Otabek closed the gap between them until he was only a couple of feet away. He gazed down at Yuri with a soft look, taking in the familiar features he usually only got to see on his phone screen when they had video calls. Otabek’s eyes eventually settle on Yuri’s viridian ones, both lost in their own world for a few moments. 

The spell was broken by the sound of a throat being cleared, startling both males as they turned their heads in perfect unison towards the noise. 

Yakov surveyed the four skaters in front of him with his usual disapproving glare before focusing his attention on Yuri. 

“Everything is set for tomorrow. You are in the 11 am practice slot. Lilia and I are going back to the hotel, don’t be back later than 10 pm.” After receiving a grunt of acknowledgment from Yuri, Yakov gave a quick nod to the other three and swiftly departed. 

Yuri’s eyes followed his coach until he was no longer visible, but after a short glance at his boyfriend, he found himself again at a loss for words. Or at least words that could be spoken with so many people around. 

Thankfully, Yuuri seemed to catch on to the younger’s dilemma and broke the stifling silence for him. “It’s good to see you again, Otabek. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. And yourselves? Yura mentioned you were in Japan, but I didn’t realize you were coming to the competition,” Otabek responded, eyes flitting between Yuri and the older couple as he spoke.

“We’ve been staying with Yuuri’s family for a couple of months, but we’re coming back to Russia now that the season is starting. But of course, we missed Yurio so much, we came here to surprise him and cheer him on!” Viktor explained with a big smile plastered on his face. 

Yuri scoffed and rolled his eyes in response but otherwise remained quiet.

Yuuri, on the other hand, turned and lightly slapped his partner on the shoulder with a disapproving look on his face. Viktor looked at him with such hurt puppy dog eyes that Yuri wondered how he could possibly be an adult. 

“Yah, Vitya, we’re here to support everyone, of course!” Yuuri chided before turning back to Otabek. “Good luck to you, Otabek, of course we’ll both be cheering for you as well! We should be going now though, we’ll see you both tomorrow. Have fun today, you two!”

Yuuri waved goodbye as he dragged a confused Viktor along, hurriedly pulling him through the crowd and out the door.

Now that it was just the two of them left, Yuri could feel Otabek’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet them. He wasn’t the best at self-control, and Yuri knew that if he met Otabek’s gaze now, he wouldn’t be able to hold back. So instead, he kept his eyes down and a frown on his face, muttering a quiet “let’s go” before hastily making his way back towards the rink. After a couple of minutes of walking, with Otabek silently following him through the halls, Yuri finally spotted their destination. A secluded hallway far from prying eyes. Although their relationship was not a well-kept secret among the skaters and coaches, they wanted to keep some level of privacy and opted to hide it from the media and fans for now. 

Upon checking that the coast was definitely clear, Yuri’s facade finally broke as he spun and threw his arms around Otabek’s shoulders without a moment’s hesitation. With just as much urgency, he felt Otabek’s strong arms wrap securely around his waist. The couple simply stood there holding each other close, as if making up for all the missed hugs since they’d last been together over the summer. 

The quiet was momentarily broken by a barely-audible whisper of “I missed you, Beka,” to which the elder responded by pulling the lithe skater impossibly closer to him, and this was all Yuri needed to know that Otabek felt the same. 

After what could have been minutes or hours, the two finally released one another from their hold, but neither pulled away. Yuri lifted his eyes to meet Otabek’s, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips. Otabek carefully brought his hand up to Yuri’s cheek, grazing it with his knuckles before gently cupping it in his palm. 

The blonde closed his eyes for just a moment and leaned into the touch, ignoring the rising blush on his cheeks and a sense of shyness that he rarely ever experienced. After a few moments, Yuri glanced up at his boyfriend with a look that, despite aiming for annoyed, ended up as more of a pout.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’d arrived early? I would’ve come straight from the hotel if I had known…” 

Otabek’s expression softened even further at the question, his thumb absentmindedly stroking Yuri’s cheek. “I wanted to surprise you, Yura.”

The Russian huffed lightly in disapproval, but he decided to drop it for now, opting to spend the short time he had with his boyfriend more wisely.

“You have the rest of the day free, right?”

Otabek nodded in response.

“Then let’s go explore the city. You can buy me food to make up for not telling me you were here,” Yuri decided, his smile growing as his boyfriend mumbled an “alright” in response. 

As Yuri turned to head out, he felt Otabek’s hand slip into his, fingers interlocking almost instinctually. He paused for just a second, squeezing his boyfriend’s rough hand with his own slender one, before pulling him along to a back exit far from the prying eyes of anyone who might recognize them. 

The couple spent the rest of the day walking through the streets of Osaka hand in hand, eating delicious street food and window shopping and taking way too many pictures together. Even if tomorrow they would be world-famous figure skaters competing against one another to win gold, today they were simply two teenagers on a date, slowly but surely falling in love. 

Yuri felt like he was walking on air all day with Otabek by his side. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this carefree. 

As the sun set and the temperature began to drop, the pair slowly wandered back to the hotel where they said reluctant goodbyes and headed to their respective rooms for the evening. Yuri slept soundly that night, memories from the day lulling him into a peaceful night’s rest before the start of the competition the next day.

* * *

With everyone fully focused on the competition, the next couple of days flew by. The first night was the men’s short program which saw everyone starting the season off strong. Yuri had silenced any skeptics with his flawless short program that put him in 1st place. In 2nd place was Phichit, followed by Otabek, Leo, JJ, and finally Guang Hong. 

They were off for the second day of the competition, and tonight, the NHK Trophy would wrap up with the Men’s free skate. 

Yuri felt amazing being back in competition mode. He had always thrived in the spotlight and was never more at home than when he was on the ice. 

But this season felt different from the previous ones. In the past, Yuri had usually only had Yakov by his side. Sometimes Mila and Viktor had been at the same competitions with him, but Yuri had only actually grown closer to them over the past couple of years. Now, he had an abundance of people supporting him. Yakov, Lilia, Otabek, Viktor, and Yuuri were all in his corner, and even the other skaters knew him well enough now to give him a friendly word of good luck or praise. And of course, there was always his grandpa cheering him on from Moscow. 

Yuri was beginning to see more to competitions than just winning gold (although that was still his main objective, of course). He thought about this as he changed into his free skate outfit in the locker room, pulling on his warm-ups over top of the sequined costume before sitting down on the bench to begin lacing his skates. 

A hand on his shoulder startled him from his thoughts, body tensing and head whipping around to see the offending party. When his gaze landed on his boyfriend, all the tension left Yuri’s body. He paused his pre-competition playlist and pulled his earbuds out, gesturing for Otabek to sit on the bench beside him. 

“How’s your ankle feeling, Yura?” Otabek asked, keeping his voice low, although none of the other skaters in the room were paying them any attention.

Yuri huffed, bending down to continue lacing his skates and hopefully hide the blush rising on his cheeks. Partly, he was just embarrassed remembering the stupid misstep he made this morning during their warm-up that led to him slightly twisting his ankle, but the main cause of his red cheeks was the concern in Otabek’s eyes and voice.

“I’m fine, Beka, I barely even feel it,” he muttered in response, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. It wasn’t a lie, between all the icing and resting and pain meds, he hardly felt any pain, but Yuri was still worried it might give out on him during the free skate. Yuri finished lacing his skates and sat up, placing his hands on the bench on either side of him and leaning back.

Finally, he looked up to meet Otabek’s gaze with an intensity that would have had a lesser man quaking in his skates. With an undeniable resolve in his voice, Yuri declared, “I’m not going to let this stop me. I’m going to prove to everyone that winning gold last season wasn’t just a fluke or beginner’s luck. And I’m going to keep proving it over and over until nobody ever questions it again.”

Otabek’s face twitched into a faint smile, his hand moving to cover Yuri’s on the bench between them. “You still have the eyes of a soldier, Yura. I’m sure everyone else can see it too. Your strength and determination are visible in everything you do. Many of us already know how incredible you are, and I know you’ll continue to prove it to the rest of the world every time you step on the ice.” Otabek never broke eye contact, wanting more than anything for his words to truly reach Yuri. At some point, he had begun stroking his thumb over the back of Yuri’s hand in a soothing manner. “I know it would be useless to tell you to take it easy since you’ve never learned the meaning of the phrase, but keep in mind that this is just the beginning. Not only the beginning of this season, but also of your career. You have to take care of yourself, alright, Yurochka?”

Yuri was at a loss for words. As if the expressions of praise and concern had not already left the Russian completely flustered, this was the first time Otabek had called him Yurochka. A warm feeling spread slowly from his chest throughout his whole body as the world around them seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them left. 

The loud clang of a locker being slammed shut brought the pair back to the reality that they were not alone in the room. Otabek released Yuri’s hand after giving it one last squeeze, leaning back slightly to put a more acceptable amount of space between them. Yuri bent down to fiddle with his skates, taking a few deep breaths to refocus himself. 

“I’ll be careful, Beka. I promise,” Yuri murmured before standing up and turning to face his boyfriend. “Now let’s go, we’ve got a gold medal to compete for.” 

Otabek’s mouth twitched towards a smile as he stood to follow Yuri towards the rink. As they headed towards their respective coaches, the couple shared a look meant just for one another, each sending the other off with a whispered ‘davai’ to wish them luck. 

As Yuri approached Yakov and Lilia, he pulled out his phone to check his messages before their final warm-up began. He scrolled through some of the hundreds of social media notifications from his fans expressing their concern over his injury and wishing him luck in the free skate. Ignoring them, he quickly checked his texts, noting the pre-skate messages of good luck he normally received from Mila and Yuuko. Yuri noticed that he hadn’t received a message from his grandpa, but that wasn’t completely without precedent. Sometimes he got the time zones confused or preferred to talk with him after he skated, so Yuri didn’t think much of it.

After putting his phone in airplane mode to prevent any distractions or interruptions, Yuri put one earbud in as he began his final stretching and mental preparation. He left one earbud out to continue listening to Yakov and Lilia as they gave advice and encouragement, as well as to listen for the announcement that it was his turn to warm up on the ice. 

Finally, after a couple of minutes, Yakov brought up what he knew would be a sensitive issue.

“Yura, you should cut down the quads in your program,” Yakov began, knowing it would probably cause a bad reaction but never being one to mince his words. “You still have the entire season ahead of you, and if you hurt your ankle further tonight, you’d be risking the rest of this season and possibly more.”

Yakov paused here, expecting Yuri to get angry and start yelling or throwing insults, but the skater just continued stretching. Lilia and Yakov shared a hesitant glance, not sure if Yuri was ignoring them or somehow hadn’t heard the suggestion. 

“Yura, if you focus on your presentation score, you can win this competition even without all four quads,” Lilia pressed, hoping to get through to the teen. “This choreography has very high potential if executed well. In fact, this is a good opportunity to focus on your presentation rather than your technical score.”

Slowly, Yuri came out of his stretch and looked up at his coaches with his usual scowl.

“I know all that already. I’m turning two of my quads into triples. I’m not going to risk the rest of the season just to show off in the first competition, I’m not an idiot.” Despite Yuri’s angry tone, Yakov and Lilia had known him long enough to detect the determination underneath the harshness.

Although his face remained stoic, Yakov was both proud of and impressed by the maturity of Yuri’s decision, especially given how young he was and how stubborn he could be. Just then, the announcement for the men’s final warm-up to begin came through, and the three made their way towards the rink entrance.

As frustrated as Yuri was by the idea of having to reduce the difficulty of his free skate, he knew it was the best choice. And either way, he was still determined to win. 

* * *

Despite a nearly flawless performance, Yuri missed gold by just a couple of points. He probably could’ve lived with it, too, if it had been to anyone but JJ. But alas, here he was on the podium, JJ basking in the limelight to his right as Yuri was forced to listen to his annoying fans chant JJ’s name incessantly.

The only thing keeping him from completely losing his cool was the fact that on the other side of JJ stood Otabek, stoically waiting to receive the bronze medal. Although their interactions were kept strictly professional, on the inside, Yuri’s heart was full. Sharing the podium with his boyfriend for the first time was an entirely unique experience of its own, and even if he would rather have literally anyone else but JJ up there with them, Yuri would still treasure this moment.

As the medals were awarded, Yuri’s eyes scanned the crowd, eventually landing on Viktor and Yuuri who were cheering their hearts out for him. The Russian couldn’t help rolling his eyes at the scene the couple was making, but deep down, he was glad they had come. Truth be told, it had been a bit lonely without them for the last few weeks, even though their presence annoyed him a good 98% of the time. 

While the cameras kept flashing and the fans kept cheering, Yuri spared a sideways glance past JJ to his boyfriend, only to find him already looking in his direction. Otabek’s mouth twitched into the faintest of smiles, one meant just for Yuri and no one else. Yuri had to bite the inside of his cheek in order to keep his expression neutral. 

The silver medalist turned his attention forward again as the announcer resumed speaking, but he mostly just tuned it out. Instead, he was thinking about the rest of the night. He and Otabek had decided to go on a date together after the competition wrapped up. Although Otabek would be coming to Russia in less than three weeks for the Rostelecom Cup, the pair still wanted to take advantage of any opportunity to spend time together given how busy they were and how much time they were forced to spend apart.

As the medal ceremony finally came to an end and the skaters were ushered off the ice, Yuri headed straightaway to replace his skate guards, leaning on the outside of the rink wall for support in case his ankle finally decided to give out on him. He suddenly felt a shoulder brush against his own, head whipping up automatically only to spot Otabek standing next to him.

Without even looking at his boyfriend, Otabek worked on replacing his own skate guards as he said in a hushed tone, “I think we can escape most of the fans and media if we sneak out the back. Think you can be ready in 15?”

Yuri turned his attention back to his own skates, not wanting anyone who might glance in their direction to suspect anything of their relationship. “Yeah, unless Yakov drags me to the trainer to get my ankle rewrapped,” Yuri responded, matching Otabek’s quiet voice as he put his warm-up jacket on over his outfit.

The Russian was suddenly hit by the realization that neither of his coaches was with him right now. He turned around to scan the area, but they were nowhere in sight. His brows furrowed and an uneasy feeling simmered in his gut. 

Noticing his distress, Otabek followed his gaze and looked around. “What’s wrong?” he asked, not sure what the problem was.

“Yakov and Lilia aren’t here.” Yuri did his best to keep his voice neutral, but he couldn’t help the feeling that something was wrong. Yakov and Lilia always waited for him near the rink exit during the medal ceremony. It wasn’t that he necessarily needed or even wanted them to, but it had become a habit and felt strange without them.

Before Yuri could ponder the strange absence any longer, he was tackled into a hug by a certain platinum-haired man who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. “Yurio, congratulations!” Viktor practically yelled in the younger’s ear, causing his mood to quickly shift from uneasy to pissed off.

“Congratulations, Yurio! You too, Otabek!” Yuuri chimed in at a much more respectable volume. 

Otabek nodded in thanks, watching in amusement as Yuri desperately tried to pry off an overly affectionate Viktor. “Yah, get off me, old man!” The younger Russian shouted, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be able to get the elder to release him until he felt like it. 

After a few more moments, Viktor finally let go and returned to his fiancé’s side just a couple of feet away. 

“We should go celebrate! How about I treat everyone to barbecue, Yuuri says there’s a good restaurant nearby that we should try,” Viktor continued enthusiastically, his smile never faltering despite Yuri’s fuming anger. 

“No.”

“But Yurio, why not?” Viktor whined, drawing out the sounds like a pouty child. “You have to try it while you’re in Japan! I even said I would pay!”

“No,” Yuri repeated, arms crossing over his chest and scowl deepening. He spared a quick glance at Otabek, just to be sure they were on the same page, and received just the slightest of nods to confirm that he was with Yuri on this.

“Vitya, it’s alright. Maybe they already have plans,” Yuuri stepped in, trying to soothe his overdramatic fiancé. Upon hearing this, Viktor’s demeanor changed almost instantaneously. He straightened up, pout disappearing as he eyed the two teenagers in front of him with interest. “Besides,” Yuuri continued, “there’s still the exhibition skate tomorrow night. Perhaps we could all share a meal after that.” 

This suggestion was met with a cheer from Viktor, an eye roll and muttered ‘whatever’ from Yuri, and a hum of agreement from Otabek. With the matter finally settled, the group began to make their way towards the locker rooms.

“Hey, Yurio, where is Yakov?” Viktor asked, looking around in confusion. The question brought Yuri to a halt as he realized he still had no idea where his coaches were. 

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since before the medal ceremony.” Although he did his best to hide it, the feeling of unease had returned to Yuri as soon as Viktor had mentioned Yakov. 

“What about Lilia?” Yuuri inquired, surprise at their absence obvious in both his face and voice.

Yuri just shrugged his shoulders in response. 

But as the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear. And so, just a moment later, Yakov exited the coaches’ room, looking around before spotting the four skaters and making his way towards them.

Although most people would think that Yakov was wearing the same serious expression he typically wore, Viktor and Yuri had both known him for a long time, and they could tell that something was wrong. Upon realizing this, Yuri felt the pit in his stomach drop even lower, and he slowly began to shrink into himself as the feeling took over his body.

Viktor, on the other hand, stepped forward confidently, asking Yakov what was wrong. In response, the coach simply shook his head, glancing at the cameras and media only a few feet away, and motioned for them all to follow him. 

Yakov led them on a short journey to an empty hallway near the locker rooms. Otabek kept his eyes glued to Yuri as he grew increasingly alarmed at the younger’s state. He had never seen his boyfriend so apprehensive, and he wanted nothing more than to reassure him. However, Otabek refrained from doing so as he knew that Yuri hated to appear vulnerable in front of others, so any attempt to comfort him now would probably just serve to push him further away.

Once the five of them were alone, Yakov turned to face them, stony expression never faltering. He scanned the faces in front of him before settling his gaze on Yuri, whose eyes had never left the coach since his arrival. 

Yakov cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Yurochka, your grandfather had an accident.”

These words alone were enough to turn the young skater’s entire world upside down. Yuri felt his chest tighten, any remaining thoughts vanishing from his mind as he was rendered speechless and frozen in place. He did not react to the soft gasps of shock that emitted from the others, nor did he notice when Otabek’s hand made its way to the small of Yuri’s back.

“It seems he fell down the stairs in his apartment building when returning from the supermarket,” Yakov continued. “A neighbor found him and called an ambulance. He is in the ICU now with a broken arm and bruised ribs, but their main concern is that he has not woken up yet. The doctors are running tests to check if it is a concussion or something more serious.”

Yuri felt the outside world begin to slip away, his senses dimming as he began to shut down. His grandpa was everything to him. He had raised him and loved him when his own parents couldn’t be bothered. He couldn’t lose him. He was all Yuri had.

As Yuri remained unmoving and unresponsive, Yakov continued to explain the situation to the group. The words slowly trickled into Yuri’s brain, although none of them really stuck. The hospital had first tried to contact his parents, with no luck, of course. Once news of the incident had spread around the apartment building, another neighbor had called the hospital to tell them that his grandpa’s only remaining family was the world-famous figure skater, Yuri Plisetsky. After a long series of phone calls, the news had finally reached Yakov during the medal ceremony. Lilia was currently on the phone somewhere making arrangements for their return.

Even though he could hear everything being said, Yuri couldn’t process any of it. All he could do was stare straight ahead, not even focusing on Yakov anymore. He felt as if his mind were floating, as if it were detached from his body. 

Once Yakov had finished, a silence fell over the group. The others seemed to be waiting for some reaction from Yuri, but none came. Someone stepped in front of the blonde, blocking his view of Yakov. He was pulled into a tight hug by the person, who he realized, after a moment, was Yuuri. The Japanese man was whispering comforting words to Yuri, but none of them really registered with him. 

From then on, everything blurred together. Yakov returned to Lilia to help her with the arrangements, entrusting Yuri to the three skaters. The youngest was guided to the locker room, Otabek on one side, Yuuri on the other, and Viktor leading them out front. Someone helped remove his skates and costume, replacing them with street clothes and shoes, but only after rewrapping his ankle. He then was led to the exit, someone pulling up his hood to cover his face before the group made their way into the lobby, which more closely resembled a zoo, as it was filled to the brim with fans and media. The other three acted as bodyguards as they forced their way through the crowd, trying their best to block their view of the silver medalist. (Yuri was later told by Otabek that, having heard the upsetting news, JJ had made a big commotion when they entered the lobby in order to draw attention away from the distressed skater and his protection squad. Yuri had rolled his eyes and replied that JJ literally always made a big commotion, but had eventually admitted that maybe JJ wasn’t the absolute worst person on the planet.) 

After a very short taxi ride, they finally arrived back at the hotel where they found Yakov and Lilia in a quiet corner of the lobby. Although Yakov was on the phone, Lilia came to greet them and pulled Yuri into a hug. She released him after a moment, observing his blank stare and unresponsiveness, as well as the looks of concern present on the other three faces.

“I have rearranged our flights so we will fly directly to Moscow. Unfortunately, the next flight is not until the morning, so you should all get some sleep. We will leave from the lobby promptly at 6 am,” Lilia explained, only satisfied after receiving nods of confirmation from all three responsible parties.

Just like everything else, this news seeped into Yuri’s brain very slowly. But then, as if a switch had been flipped, Yuri’s head whipped up, eyes blazing in anger.

“What the hell do you mean we aren’t leaving until tomorrow? We have to leave tonight! I’m the only family he has, we have to leave right now. This is bullshit!” His voice shook with fury, all of his built-up emotions finally tumbling out.

“Yura, I have spoken to the staff at the hospital, and your grandfather is getting excellent care. They do not allow non-family members to stay overnight, but Mila will go stay with him tomorrow until we arrive. He is being looked after, and he won’t be alone. There are no more flights leaving today, we are on the very first flight tomorrow. I promise, Yura, this is the quickest way.” Although her voice remained stern, Lilia’s eyes reflected her worry and sympathy for her beloved student. Just as soon as she finished speaking, Lilia received yet another phone call, and with one last glance at Yuri, she headed to a quieter corner of the lobby to answer it.

Lilia’s words, however, did not assuage Yuri’s anger. He spat a few more curses at nobody in particular, looking ready to strangle the first person who gave him a reason. 

And of course, the only person stupid enough to volunteer for that role was Viktor. The older Russian placed his hand on the younger’s shoulder in an attempt at comforting him, but Yuri slapped it away within a moment, turning his rage on Viktor.

“Don’t you fucking touch me, asshole!” he spat, eyes daring the other to respond. 

However, Yuri’s challenge was interrupted by another voice. 

“Yura, it’ll be okay.” Otabek’s soothing tone reached Yuri’s ears, but now that his emotions had been let loose, Yuri couldn’t seem to get them under control.

“You don’t fucking know that! You don’t know if he’ll be okay! How could you possibly understand anyway,” Yuri scoffed, directing all his rage at his boyfriend. Even though it felt wrong, even though it just hurt him more, he felt like he was on a runaway train that he didn’t have the power to stop. The words just kept flowing out of him, dripping with venom. “You have a huge family who loves and supports you, you could never understand. My own parents abandoned me, he’s the only person who has always been there for me and now- now he-“

Yuri’s chest heaved, struggling to breathe as he choked on the tears he hadn’t even realized had begun to fall. All his anger dissipated almost instantaneously as it finally hit him that he could really lose his grandpa. That he could lose the only family he has left. The only person who has always loved and supported him unconditionally. 

As the realization sunk in, Yuri also became aware of the three pairs of eyes trained on him, along with the various expressions of shock and concern. He suddenly felt incredibly exposed under their scrutiny and instinctively turned on his heel, sprinting to the nearby restroom. Locking himself in one of the stalls, he sat down and began sobbing uncontrollably. A pang of guilt struck Yuri as he realized what he had done, the bitter feeling settling deep in his chest alongside the fear and heartbreak already residing there.

After a couple of minutes, the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing grabbed his attention, but at this point, Yuri couldn’t have stopped his tears from falling even if the world had depended on it. Slow footsteps approached his stall, followed by a soft rap on the door. 

“Yurio, I know there’s nothing I can do to make it better, but is there anything I can get you? Anything at all?” Yuuri’s soft voice floated into the cramped bathroom stall, giving the distressed boy something to focus on other than his own grief. 

“No,” responded Yuri, his voice hoarse from crying.

There was a long silence before Yuuri continued, “Do you want me to leave?”

This question gave Yuri pause. His instinct was to say yes, to push him away and build a protective wall around himself. But his emotions won, and he found himself whispering a barely audible “no”.

“Alright, I’ll stay right here then.”

After a few minutes, Yuri finally pulled himself together enough to stand up and open the stall door. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at the other, but he did close the distance between them to just a few feet. 

“Are you feeling a bit calmer?” Yuuri asked, keeping his voice soft as if talking to a young child. Yuri hummed in response, trying his best to push down the shame he felt at his current state and previous actions.

“Do you want a hug?” 

This question was finally enough to bring Yuri’s eyes up. It took him by surprise, both the question and his answer. He wasn’t sure if anyone had ever actually asked him that before. At least not seriously. Mila would sometimes say it to tease him, knowing it would get a rise out of him. But other than that…

Yuri averted his gaze again, too embarrassed to look Yuuri in the eye as he responded half-jokingly, “Only if you don’t tell Viktor.”

“Of course not. It’ll be our secret,” Yuuri replied with a comforting smile. He stepped forward and wrapped the younger in an embrace. At first, Yuri just stood there stiffly, but gradually he began to melt into Yuuri’s arms, bringing his own up to wrap loosely around the other.

He wasn’t sure how long they stood there, hugging in the middle of a hotel lobby bathroom, but Yuri eventually pulled away when he finally felt capable of rational thought again. 

“Feeling a bit better?” Yuuri asked, concern still seeping into his voice.

“Yeah, thanks,” Yuri muttered back, throat still raw and scratchy from earlier. He scoffed lightly as their current position finally settled in. “I guess it’s pretty ironic, you being the one to come comfort me while I cry in a bathroom stall.”

“Hmm, I guess you’re right,” Yuuri mused. “But I think we’ve both come a long way since then.”

Yuri just shrugged, not really in the mindset to reflect on the past right now.

“Do you feel ready to go back out? I know Viktor and Otabek are very worried, but we can take as much time as you need.” 

Shit. Yuri had somehow managed to block out most of the specifics of what he had said in his fit of rage, but now every insult was coming back to him. Would Viktor abandon him again? Maybe he and Yuuri would move to Japan to train permanently. Would Otabek break up with him? Yuri couldn’t blame either of them if they did, he had brought it on himself after all. 

“They must hate me now,” Yuri stated as if it were an undeniable fact, trying and failing to keep the pain out of his voice. Not only might he lose his grandpa, but he could lose two of the very few people by his side as well.

Yuri was too lost in his own thoughts to notice the surprise on Yuuri’s face. The Japanese man stared at the younger, mouth slightly agape, wondering how Yuri could possibly think they would hate him for something like this. 

“Yurio, of course they don’t hate you. They aren’t mad, they’re just worried about you. They know you didn’t mean what you said, that you were just upset. We all just want to be here for you,” Yuuri explained, hoping his sincerity would reach him. “You’re very important to all of us, Yuri.”

Despite his best efforts, Yuri was unable to keep the blush from rising on his cheeks. He wasn’t used to hearing these types of things, and it made him a bit uncomfortable because he wasn’t sure how to react. But more than that, he felt loved and supported. Not because of his talent, but because they cared about _him_. Just like his grandpa always had. 

Yuri bit his lip and mumbled something like ‘mkay’ before following Yuuri back to the lobby. When Viktor and Otabek spotted the pair, they rushed over to meet them. 

Viktor, being Viktor, immediately flung his arms around Yuri dramatically, apologizing and asking if he’s alright with all the theatrical flair of a lifelong performer. Yuri just stood there and accepted it, not welcoming it but not pushing him away either, which, to be fair, was a pretty big step for them. He muttered an apology of his own, but he couldn’t be sure if Viktor heard it over his own ramblings.

After Viktor calmed down and released the youngest skater, Yuri looked up shyly at his boyfriend. He wasn’t sure where they stood after what he had said. Sure, Otabek had heard Yuri yell plenty of times, but it was never personal. It was never _at_ Otabek. 

When Yuri finally met his eyes, Otabek offered him an understanding smile, opening his arms for him. Yuri’s eyes widened in shock, not imagining that he could be forgiven so easily. Without a second thought, Yuri rushed forward, practically body slamming his boyfriend as he embraced him. Of course, Otabek caught him with ease, the smaller fitting perfectly into his arms. 

“I’m so sorry for what I said, I didn’t mean it, Beka. I’m sorry,” Yuri whispered urgently, arms tightening around Otabek’s neck. 

The taller kept one arm wrapped tightly around Yuri’s back, bringing the other up to stroke through his silky blonde hair. “I know, Yura, don’t worry. I’ve got you,” Otabek whispered back, his soft and comforting voice prompting Yuri to press his face even deeper into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck.

Eventually, Yakov came over and more or less ordered them all to go to bed. So they took the elevator up, first stopping at Otabek’s room so he could pack his things, before heading to Yuri’s room two floors up. (Lilia had somehow used her dark magic to score Otabek a ticket to Moscow with them while Yuri had been crying in the bathroom, and Yuri was so grateful that he might have hugged her almost as dramatically as Viktor had hugged him earlier that night.)

Yuuri and Viktor were staying on the same floor, so they bid their goodnights after both giving Yuri more hugs and enough words of love and support to last him a lifetime. When they finally left, Yuri unlocked the hotel room and walked in, Otabek following right behind him. The Russian dumped his skating bag on the floor and flopped face-first onto the nearest bed. 

Yuri heaved a big sigh, slowly letting himself melt into the soft mattress. He heard some rustling behind him, followed by the feeling of the bed dipping next time him as Otabek laid down beside him. Yuri didn’t move, just focusing on his breathing and trying to unclench his muscles one by one.

After a few deep breaths, Yuri turned his head slightly towards Otabek, gazing at him through the blonde locks partially blocking his view. Otabek gazed back, searching Yuri’s eyes for a hint at what he may be thinking or feeling. He reached out to carefully tuck the loose strands of hair behind Yuri’s ear, continuing to thread his rough fingers through the younger’s hair soothingly. Gradually, his eyes fluttered closed, and Yuri was finally able to relax just a bit. 

The pair stayed in that position for a good twenty minutes before Otabek decided he should probably be a responsible adult, suggesting that they both shower and get ready for bed. In response, Yuri pouted, not wanting to move from the comfortable, Yuri-shaped indent he had made, but Otabek easily won him over with a gentle forehead kiss and an offer to blow-dry his hair. 

After a hot shower and a cup of tea (courtesy of Otabek and the kettle in the hotel room), Yuri was feeling quite a bit better. He was still beyond worried for his grandpa, but he had finally accepted that there was absolutely nothing he could do right now, so he shoved all his fears and anxieties into a little box and did his best to distract himself.

While Otabek took his shower, Yuri grabbed his phone and turned it off of airplane mode. He was instantly flooded with notifications from missed calls, texts, and social media. He started with texts, reading through the various messages of support before moving on to social media.

The first thing he found when opening Twitter was an announcement from the ISU account.

> _Due to personal reasons, Yuri Plisetsky and Otabek Altin will not perform at the NHK Trophy Exhibition Gala. We wish them both well and look forward to seeing their exhibition skates in the near future._

The comments were filled with speculation, devastated fans, and a good deal of trolls in a variety of languages. Yuri promptly closed Twitter and muted all his social media for the next 24 hours. He could hardly be bothered with social media on a good day, and he was definitely not up to dealing with any drama tonight, so he opted instead to occupy his time with a mindless game.

Just as Yuri had finally managed to beat the level, he heard the shower turn off and watched as Otabek emerged a couple of minutes later. Yuri observed how his sweatpants sat low on his hips, a dark tank top covering his torso, and a towel around his neck.

After roughly drying his hair with the towel and tossing it back into the bathroom, Otabek looked over at his boyfriend curled up on the hotel armchair.

“Did you still want me to dry your hair?” Otabek asked, waving the hairdryer he had grabbed from the bathroom. Yuri nodded, moving across the room to settle on the bed next to where Otabek was already seated. With his knees pulled tight against his chest, Yuri slowly began to drift off between the warmth of the dryer and the gentle touches as Otabek dried his hair. 

Once he had finished, Otabek turned off the dryer and grabbed Yuri’s hairbrush, delicately untangling the knots until his fluffy blonde hair was finally free of them all. He moved to put the items away, only then noticing that his boyfriend had fallen asleep. He smiled softly at the sight, quietly placing everything on the dresser before dropping a featherlight kiss on the crown of Yuri’s head.

After setting an alarm and plugging both of their phones in to charge, Otabek carefully lifted Yuri and placed him under the covers before slipping in next to him. As he pulled the blanket up to keep them both warm, Otabek felt Yuri shifting next to him. He couldn’t hold back his smile as the sleeping male cuddled into him, his delicate hand lifting to grip Otabek's tank top tightly. 

Otabek gently wrapped his arm around Yuri’s waist, holding him close.

“Good night, Yurochka. Sweet dreams.”

* * *

After a restless few hours of sleep, a 12-hour plane ride, and an hour and a half taxi ride, the group of six was finally almost at the hospital. Yuri had been completely on edge the whole day, snapping at the smallest things and struggling to focus on anything other than his grandpa. Otabek, Yuuri, and Viktor did their best to keep him distracted throughout the journey, but most of Viktor’s attempts just ended with a pissed-off Yuri. 

Meanwhile, Yakov and Lilia were doing their best to keep the journey fast and smooth, not wanting to put any extra stress on the young skater. Although their official roles were as teachers and student, the two cared deeply for Yuri and hated to see him in so much pain.

Throughout the approximately sixteen hours they had been traveling, Otabek had never left Yuri’s side. He made sure Yuri was eating food and drinking water, even encouraging him to take a nap on the plane (although that proved to be a fruitless effort). Neither was typically fond of public displays of affection, but Otabek made an effort to always be touching Yuri, whether by holding his hand or slinging an arm around his shoulder, once he realized how much the small touches helped to calm the younger.

Now, with only a couple of minutes left in their journey, the taxi was silent apart from the sounds of traffic. They had received word from Mila upon landing that she was at the hospital, but there was no change in his grandpa’s condition. Yuri had not spoken a word since. The scowl on his face showed anger, but the way he gripped Otabek’s hand as if his life depended on it told a different story.

Before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop, Yuri leapt out and started running towards the hospital entrance, Otabek following closely behind. At a much more reasonable pace, the remaining four passengers exited the vehicle and unloaded their luggage. As the taxi left, Georgi, who had come at Yakov’s request, pulled up and helped them load their luggage into his trunk. After sending him on his way, the four of them headed inside.

The scene that welcomed them was unexpected, although not entirely surprising.

“What the hell do you mean I can’t go in without a parent or guardian?” Yuri yelled at the receptionist, voice seething with fury. “I’m here to _see_ my guardian, so how the hell is he supposed to walk me in!”

The young woman looked lost, unsure of what she was supposed to do in this situation. Luckily, an older nurse had heard the commotion and chose that moment to step in.

“I’ll handle it from here,” she said coolly, and the young woman promptly scurried off. “I’m sorry for the trouble, of course you can visit your guardian. Could you give me their name, please?”

“Nikolai Plisetsky,” Yuri responded immediately, looking as if he was torn between yelling at someone and bursting into tears. Otabek began stroking his back in an attempt to calm him, but it seemed they had reached the point where nothing but finally seeing his grandpa would help Yuri.

Thankfully, the nurse was quick to find the room number and lead them through the halls to their destination. As they approached the door, voices could be heard floating into the corridor.

Yuri entered without a second thought, eyes widening at the sight before him. Sitting on a chair next to the bed was Mila, who turned at the sound of Yuri’s footsteps. Next to her, lying in the bed wide awake and comfortably conversing with her was none other than Nikolai Plisetsky.

No words were spoken as Yuri closed the gap between them and jumped into his grandpa’s waiting arms. They stayed like that until all of Yuri’s tears had stopped falling and his sobs had quieted.

“He woke up just a few minutes before you all arrived,” Mila explained, finally breaking the silence that had fallen. “The doctor said he has a minor concussion, but they expect he’ll make a full recovery.”

“That’s great news,” Yuuri said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Did you hear that, Yurio?”

Yuri slowly sat up, purposefully turned away from the group as he wiped his face with his sleeves (or more accurately, with the Otabek’s sleeves, as it was his hoodie that Yuri was currently wearing).

“Yeah.” Yuri’s voice came out small and scratchy. “But Grandpa, you have to be more careful, I don’t know what I would do without you. You’re the only family I have.” The last line came out barely above a whisper, his voice filled with anguish.

“That’s not true anymore.” Nikolai looked fondly at his grandson whose expression had shifted to one of confusion. “Look around you, Yurochka. You have a whole family here by your side. Even if you lost me, you wouldn’t be alone. You have them.”

Yuri finally turned around, eyes landing on each person as if seeing them in a new light. Yakov, Lilia, Mila, Viktor, Yuuri, and of course, Otabek. He realized how much he had let them all into his life, how important they were to him. When Yuri had first moved from Moscow to St Petersburg, he had been lonely nearly every day without his grandpa. But now, he rarely ever felt that way. Although nobody could ever replace his grandpa, there were more people by his side than he knew.

Looking down at his hands self-consciously, Yuri contemplated his grandpa’s words. “I guess you’re right,” he said quietly, glancing around the room once more before turning back to Nikolai. “But you still have to stay alive! Just because you aren’t the only person always by my side anymore doesn’t mean you’re allowed to leave me yet, got it?”

Nikolai chuckled at Yuri’s sudden outburst, glad to see his grandson returning to his loud and energetic self. “Don’t worry, I'm not going anywhere,” he promised, patting Yuri’s hand gently. Finally, a bright smile made its way onto Yuri’s tear-stained face.

“I love you, Grandpa.”

“I love you too, Yurochka.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! Yuri is one of my favorite characters, and Otayuri is definitely one of my favorite ships, so I really enjoyed writing this! I'm hoping to write more of them in the future. I'm currently working on a Victuuri fic, but I'm not sure when that will be ready as I'm really busy with grad school right now. Any kudos and comments are very much appreciated, and feel free to let me know if there are any fics/ships/fandoms/etc you would like to see in the future!


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